Maurice River officials decide to pursue own plan for Thompson's Beach

MAURICE RIVER TWP. -- The committee has decided against supporting a proposal by The Nature Conservancy for the restoration of Thompson's Beach in favor of its own plan.

TNC wanted to apply for a grant to remove concrete and rubble from Thompson's Beach, where houses once stood, and the trucking in of sand to make the former beach resort more hospitable to horseshoe crabs. The houses had been bought and razed and the beach had become a shorebird sanctuary.

Township officials had previously decided to try to stabilize the access road to one lane, for walking and emergency vehicle access, and clean up pilings left on the beach.

There also had been discussion about milling the concrete rubble and using it to surface the road. The committee decided at Thursday's township committee meeting to file its own application for a grant to cover the costs.

Residents had argued that the TNC plan would endanger houses in Heislerville because the concrete acted as a buffer against erosion and its removal could open up a path that would allow the bay to come all the way across the wide meadow that separates Thompson's Beach and Heislerville.

On Thursday, Heislerville residents Sam Peterson and Capt. George Kumor again talked about the possible repercussions of removing too much from the beach.

Both men reviewed the application the township will file to the Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Engineering and Construction, Bureau of Coastal Engineering, to offer suggestions.

The township's plan would retain existing bulkheads and cap all remaining wells.
In other business, an ordinance was introduced amending fees charged pursuant to the Open Public Meetings Act. A public hearing will be held on May 21.

Residents were reminded that the National Day of Prayer will be observed on Thursday, May 7, at noon, at the flagpole at the municipal hall, in Leesburg.

Also, a township-wide yard sale will be held on May 16. Fees will be waived for that day.